So time for some super nerding out.

So I found this article on stumble that is about space and the speed of light. For those of you who dont know the speed of light travels at somewhere around 186,282.00 miles per second. So there is a natural phenomenon called anomalous dispersion which is what happens when a refractive light hits a medium ( a medium is any type of material IE: include but not limited to; glass, gases, etc). and increases with the wavelength of transmitted light. A light pulse or a group of light waves traveling on different wavelengths at the same time. So when the group of light waves passes through the medium, it causes the velocity to be boosted faster than the speed of light. However, the energy of the pulse travels at the speed of light. So what does this mean so far? When the light waves hit the medium the speed is increased causing the different wave lenghs to move faster than the speed of light WITHOUT breaking Einsteins law of relativity.


To prove this they used the observation telescope in Puerto Rico and monitored a pulsar, more than 100,000 light years away. A pulsar emits a rotating beam of radiation which to observers far away, looks like an ocean light house. These pulses can be affected in many different ways, by a variation of many different things such as free floating electrons which can be either + or - can change their polarization, or neutral Hydrogen can absorb them. The scientists did some mathematical calculations to figure out the exact time the information from the MHz machines they hooked up to monitor the pulse would print out this day at this exact time.

Okay sounds simple enough right? The date printed early. So early in fact it seemed almost impossible. Thats when they reviewed the data and learned that at particular time the phenomenon anomalous dispersion occurred and the velocity was boosted causing the light waves on different wave lengths to travel FASTER than the speed of light.


FASTER than the speed of light! Holy crap.

I just thought this was awesome